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#NationalHuggingDay ๐ซโค๏ธ๐
Comfort. Love. Warmth.
To all of you. ๐บ๐บ๐พ๐๐๐ผ
Theresa M โ๏ธ๐บ retweeted
That's a great point - Amy Acton is the embodiment of that "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" ideal that Republicans used to talk about ๐
And now she overcame their disgusting TV ad to become the first woman governor of Ohio.
#BlueTsunami
The Ohio gubernatorial race.
The heartless ad by Vivek against Acton. It was more of a reflection of who he really is, & of those supporting that ad: showing indifference to the suffering & cruelty of victims of sexual abuse. Their pain means nothing to Vivek. He does not care.
I have been holding my tongue about something that happened during the Ohio gubernatorial race. I refused to speak while the election was underway because I did not want my words mistaken for an attempt to influence anyoneโs vote.
But now that the election is over, I have something to say.
For nearly twenty years, my ministry has taken me among the homeless, the abused, the exploited, and the forgotten. I have sat with victims of sexual violence and witnessed the lifelong wounds of childhood trauma.
What Vivek Ramaswamyโs campaign did to Amy Acton was among the most morally repulsive things I have witnessed in American politics.
They took a woman whose stepfather was indicted for raping her when she was twelve years old and featured her mother, from whom she had been estranged for nearly fifty years, in a political advertisement attacking her credibility.
The advertisement challenged Actonโs account of her childhood without mentioning the sexual abuse allegations or the circumstances of that estrangement. When people expressed their horror, the campaign defended it.
Imagine examining another personโs childhood suffering and fractured family relationships, then deciding those wounds might help win an election.
Anyone who has worked with survivors of childhood sexual abuse understands the painful realities of denial, betrayal, shame, and estrangement. A child growing into a successful adult does not erase what happened. Nor does a parentโs denial make that suffering disappear.
I find it equally disturbing that an elderly mother, whom Acton herself described as unwell, was brought into this spectacle. Whatever her own struggles or responsibility for the past, exploiting that fractured relationship was grotesque.
To everyone who defended this, consider the message you sent to survivors. To the young woman whose family refuses to believe her. To the man who has carried the shame of childhood abuse for forty years. To the frightened child who has yet to tell anyone.
What did you teach them about the value of their suffering?
I am a priest. I believe in repentance, forgiveness, and redemption. But none of those things requires me to pretend that deliberate cruelty is anything less than a grave moral failure.
Your political allegiance does not absolve you of moral responsibility. You do not get to set aside your conscience during an election and retrieve it afterward.
If your loyalty requires you to defend the exploitation of a childhood sexual abuse survivor, your loyalty has become an idol. And if your conscience cannot recognize the wrong here, examine what political tribalism has done to it.
This is not about Republicans or Democrats. We have a choice as a people: continue excusing cruelty from our preferred political camp, or summon the courage to condemn it wherever it appears.
Amy Acton deserved better. Every survivor who watched this unfold deserved better.
And God help us if we have reached the point where winning an election matters more than protecting the dignity of a wounded human being.
Happy birthday ๐๐๐
Winnie the Pooh ๐งก
and friends.
Live life simply
and always take care
of your inner child.
youtu.be/OQWkZTgbZ74?is=retEโฆ
#CatsNoirFriday
Dogs Noir Edition.
#CatsOfTwitter
๐บ๐โโฌ๐พ๐โ๐ฆบ
Didnโt know dogs sat for driverโs license photos back in the day. ๐
#NCIS The cast from recent seasons was just fine. Not happy theyโre bringing back Tony Dinozzo. And worse, making him the director of ncis.
McGee deserves it more.
So very sad to see our friend Peyton has gone otrb, the beloved dog who always welcomed everyone, was thoughtful & kind, helped us deal with our losses with #HealingPurrsPawty . Condolences to the family.
You are forever loved Peyton
๐ข๐พ๐๐
Friends we are sorry to hear of our dear fren Peyton @ peytonreads.bsky.social travelling OTRB๐๐พ
May her family be comforted knowing that she will be warmly welcomed by the many frens waiting for her.
She brought happiness to so many๐
Until we meet again
#Hedgewatch
Sure do miss seeing ekekekkekkek
@ekekekkekkek
around here. ๐ฟ
You always make me
smile ๐บโค๏ธ
#CatsOfTwitter
To anything and everything!
Wow!
#CatsOfTwitter ๐บ๐พโค๏ธ
In memoriam. Flight 93.
Shanksville, PA
2001/09/11
They sacrificed their lives to save many. ๐๐บ๐ธ
This #CatsNoirFriday is
dedicated to Dolly Parton.
#CatsOfTwitter
๐โโฌ๐พ๐ถ๐ค๐คโค๏ธ๐๐๐๐ฉต๐
Such sad unexpected news. Rest in peace Dolly Parton.
You were truly an angel
among us. Extraordinary
humanitarian. ๐ข๐๐ผ๐๐
We will always love you.
We support Canada. ๐จ๐ฆ
Sorry you have to put up with our insane, foolish, greedy, and inept U.S. administration. Who in their right mind would agree with t-rumpโs ideas for anything? He is ruining our country & trying to destroy other countries as well.
It is a disgrace.
Sending loveโฆโฆโค๏ธ๐๐๐
#CatsOfTwitter























